The New Kids in School
by Lexaa
Summary: Bella & Edward enroll in a new high school! Things are going great until the most popular, conniving girl in school sets her sights on Edward. Takes place after BD. Rated T just because. :D
1. Who are THEY?

**A/N: wooohooooo!**

**So this is my VERRRY first fanfic! Yayyyyyy! So go easy on me por favor? :D k thanks. **

**Mmkay, so basically what I'm going to do is post a teeeeny bit of what I've written so far and then have you guys review it and tell me how you like it! If you do like it, I'll post more (:**

**So here we go! Enjoy! And don't forget to review (:**

**- Alexa**

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**Claire's POV**

It was just another one of those achingly normal days that happen roughly every month, one of those days where you just _wish_ something interesting would happen.

I breezed through the doors early that morning and met up with my besties Angelica and Kristy by my locker for a quick gossip session, as usual. Then I continued on to homeroom class.

But as soon as I stepped into the room, I realized that it was anything but a normal day.

Two new students sat in the front of the room. It was pretty unusual to have even one new student, but _two_? Strange.

And apparently these two new students seemed to know each other, because they were holding hands, which was pretty weird because they looked so much alike. Upon closer inspection, I could see that they had some differences, but not that many. Just that the girl had dark hair, the guy had bronze hair...

But their similarities were staggering. They both had pale skin, golden eyes, and straight, angular features. Both were tall and very graceful, even in stillness.

In other words, they were heartbreakingly beautiful.

Just as I had the thought, the guy turned toward me. I had to catch my breath as the full force of his golden eyes hit me. He stared at me for what must have merely been three seconds, but felt like a lifetime for me.

The guy turned away from me and towards his female friend and murmured something so quickly and so quietly that I couldn't hear. The girl turned toward me, appraising me. Then she frowned slightly. "Do you need something?" she asked me in a high, musical voice.

With a start, I realized I was still standing, staring at them. "N-no," I stammered, then plopped down onto my seat. Wow, that must have looked lame.

The guy and girl exchanged glances and I swear I could hear them chuckle. _Gee, thanks,_ I thought.

The guy turned as if he had heard me and gave me a wry smile, then turned back around. I stared at his back, mystified. Who _were_ these people? I guessed I'd have to try to find that out later.

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**So there you have it! (: my verrrry first story. don't forget to review! if you do review, i'll give you a cookie. sound good? it does, doesn't it?**


	2. Just A Matter of Time

**A/N: Thank you soooooo much to everyone who reviewed! As promised, you all get a cookie. :D**

**Anyway, since you guys seem to like the story, I **_**will**_** continue it! Expect updates every week or so, or maybe faster since I already have some of it written. **

**By the way, I would've posted this earlier, but I had a football game to go to. My very first high school football game! I know, I know. Exciting stuff. (: And it was great, even though we lost. I got to see all my old friends who go to the high school we played against, **_**annnndddddd**_** there were funnel cakes! So that pretty much made it the best night ever. **

**So here's Chapter 2. Enjoy! (:**

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Claire's POV

During second period, the room was awash with conversation. I could catch snatches of it every now and then. They were all talking about the _new students_. I stifled a sneer. Usually I was the one being talked about in the fair hallways of Valley Ridge High School.

I was what you would call a VIP in the school. I was at the top of the social food chain, and I looked down on those lower than me with a watchful eye. I knew everything that went on in this school; who hooked up, who broke up, and son on. I was indisputably the queen of VRHS.

So who were these strangers to just come in and disturb my reign? I would show them just who was boss around here.

I smelt the familiar stench of Viva La Juicy perfume, which usually signified the arrival of my friend, Angelica. I swiveled around in my seat as she took her usual spot beside me. Her eyes were wide and excited.

"What?" I gasped. "Did you hear any gossip? Oh my gosh! Did Justin finally break up with that loser Kellsey?" Justin was my ex-boyfriend. We had been the perfect golden couple that everyone envied up until a few weeks ago, when he had dumped me in favor of some sort of lowly nerd who had somehow managed to captivate his attention. Of course, she was kind of cute, and could even be a ten with the help of a much-needed makeover, but I wasn't going to admit that.

Angelica's eyes were wide. "I saw, in the hall..."

"Yes? Go on."

"Oh, Claire, he was the most gorgeous boy I'd ever seen in the history of the world. I could've died right there."

"Who? The new guy?" The one who was stealing my coveted spotlight?

"Yes...oh my gosh, Claire, have you _seen_ him?"

"Yeah I have..." I suddenly remembered the boy I'd seen in homeroom. He certainly was cute. No, more than cute. _Positively gorgeous,_ I thought as I remembered him more clearly. Certainly worthy to be my boyfriend in my attempt to make Justin jealous.

"Well didn't you think he was the most beautiful thing to walk on this planet?" Angela demanded, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Yes, I did," I replied, a smile curving my lips.

Angelica read my expression. "You know, you can have him if you want him," she muttered, trying but failing to hide the disappointment in her voice.

I grinned at her. "Oh yes. I _will_ have him. It's just a matter of time..."

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**Oooooohhhh, looks like Bella has some competition! Haha. Anyway, don't forget to review! And don't worry, there'll be lots more Bella & Edward in the next chapter. So for all of you who have been wondering, _"When are we gonna see Bella or Edwards's point of view?"_ just sit tight! They'll be here soon. (:**


	3. No Idea What She's in For

Bella's POV

I walked down the hall with Edward toward our next class. As we walked, people turned to stare at us. Edward chuckled and discreetly whispered to me what their thoughts were. Most of them went along the lines of, "Oh my gosh, who are they?" "That is the most beautiful guy I have ever seen" (from the girls) and "Daaaaannngggg, she's hot" (from the guys).

I couldn't believe just how much I relished the attention I was getting. Even though I'd experienced a little bit of so-called popularity during my time in Forks when I was human, I'd never experienced it to this magnitude. But that was probably because this was the first school we'd attended since I became a vampire.

Edward had managed to pull some strings in the admin department and therefore had gotten us in all the same classes, so that way he could help me cope with being around all this appetizing human blood.

It was true taht all the smells kind of shocked me when I walked through the door. All that blood packed into one building was almost too much for me to bear. But thanks to Edward, and my somewhat extraordinary ability to control myself, I was fine by the time the tardy bell rang. Plus, in preparation for this, Edward and I had gone hunting, so I wasn't even hungry.

We walked into our next class and took some empty seats in the back of the room. I tried very hard to ignore the stares of the people already in there, including the stare emanating from the male teacher.

Edward shot a reprimanding glance at the teacher and then turned to me. "So how are you enjoying you rday so far, Bella love?" His lips curved up into my favorite crooked smile.

I smiled back at him. "I'm enjoying it pretty well, thank you. And you?"

Edward smirked. "Well, this isn't exactly my first day of school as a ..." He broke off and whispered in a voice so low that no human would have a hope of hearing, "vampire. But it is _your_ first day."

I smirked. "Right. And I'm feeling pretty good, I have to say."

Edward grinned. "Is that super self-control talent of yours at work again?"

I shrugged. "I guess. But I think it's mostly the fact that you're here that's helping me."

Edward laughed again and discreetly planted a kiss behind my ear. "You're quite good for when I need an ego boost, you know."

I raised an eyebrow. "But that's not _all_ I'm good for," I said suggestively.

"Oh, I know," Edward assured me.

Our conversation was interrupted when a shadow fell on my desk. Both of us looked up to see a vaguely pretty girl standing over me. She was the stereotypical popular girl, I could tell just by looking at her. Her straight blonde hair fell down her shoulders, and her nails had French tips. She wore an expensive-looking top and carried a designer purse (which I recognized from Alice's closet) and wore tight-fitting, high-quality jeans (which I recognized from my own closet). Her blue-eyed gaze was steely, and her mouth was fixed in an angry pout. I looked up at her with a nonchalant gaze which I hoped would annoy her. Apparently it did, as I could hear Edward's chuckle resounding softly behind me.

"You're sitting in my seat," the blonde girl said with malice in her tone.

I looked around. "Well there are several empty seats," I said, matching my tone to hers. "Why can't you sit in one of those?"

"Because this is my seat," she huffed.

"Well, too bad. I'm sitting here today." I stared into her eyes with a rebellious expression. We were there like that until the girl broke her gaze from mine and turned toward Edward.

"Well hello there," she said brightly. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Claire. What's your name?"

I turned around, measuring Edward's expression. What if he succumbed to this girl's charms?

I was slightly relieved when I saw Edward's eyes tighten the tiniest bit. "My name is Edward. Pleased to meet you," he said, though his tone suggested otherwise. He held out his hand for her to shake. Claire returned the gesture, though she did so a bit hesitantly. I saw her flinch as her warm hand touched Edward's cold one.

Edward broke contact a bit abruptly an dturned away from her, no longer interested. Claire stared at him, her hand still hovering in the air uncertainly. Her eyes met mine, and I couldn't help giving her a somewhat smug expression in return. The uncertainty in Claire's eyes turned back to haughtiness, and she shot me a dirty look as she proceeded to another seat. I smiled brilliantly at her in return. Edward, reading her mind, smiled at her as well and then quietly bent forward to kiss me on the cheek. Claire's scowl grew deeper and she threw her bag on the floor and collapsed on her new seat with a loud thump, her arms crossed, a pout visible on her lips. I laughed quietly to myself. This was going to be an interesting affair.

Claire's POV

What the _heck_ was that?

So I walked into third period, thinking about all the ways I could seduce that new guy and convince him to start dating me. It wouldn't be hard, of course; I was the most wanted girl in the school. Maybe in the whole freaking town.

But I forgot all about those plans when I walked into that classroom and noticed that new girl sitting in my seat. How _dare_ she? Everyone knew that that seat belonged to me and _only_ me. I guessed I'd have to teach her a little lesson.

With a toss of my glossy, freshly highlighted blonde hair, I sauntered in her direction. I noticed she was sitting by that gorgeous new guy, and they seemed to be having an animated conversation, full of raised eyebrows and surpressed giggles. I felt a rare pang of jealousy, but comforted myself by knowing that soon enough, that guy would be _mine_.

I walked right up to that girl and stood over her. Both the girl and the guy looked up, innocent looks on their angelic faces, which made my face harden in response. As soon as I had their attention, I spat in my most venemous voice, "You're sitting in my seat."

The girl raised her eyebrows and gave me quick once-over. Then she looked around. "Well there are several empty seats," she said, her voice cold. "Why can't you sit in one of those?"

I could feel my mouth beginning to pop open, but I wrenched it closed. How _dare_ this girl speak to me this way? Did she not know that I was perfectly capable of ruining her life?

After a few seconds of silent fuming, I realized the girl was still waiting for an answer.

"Because this is my seat," I responded. _And nobody sits in my seat, _I thought to myself.

"Well too bad. I'm sitting here today," the girl responded breezily. She stared into my eyes, daring me to object. Her golden irises were hypnotic, almost making me forget what I was arguing with her about.

Almost.

Ripping my gaze from hers, I turned my attention to Mr. Hot Guy. As much as I hate to admit it, I knew I had lost that battle, and I wasn't going to keep trying to win it right there like a pathetic loser. I would simply take it up another time.

"Well hello there," I said, putting on my best 'make-the-boys-sigh' smile. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Claire. What's your name?"

To my intense surprise, the guy's expression changed. His eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and seemed to bore into my skull. How could he already dislike me? I hadn't had a chance to really even talk to him yet!

"My name is Edward," the guy said coldly. "Pleased to meet you." Edward held out his hand for me to shake. I frowned a little in confusion, then lifted up my tanned hand and shook his pale white one.

When our hands met, I flinched a bit in surprise. Edward tugged his hand away and turned toward the girl, who had been watching us the whole time.

The reason I had flinched was because his hand was ice cold.

I stood there for God knew how long, before I finally met the eyes of that girl. She lowered her eyelids and offered me a devilish smile. As quickly as it had gone, my popular-girl personality came back, and I gave her an evil glare. The girl smiled brightly at me inreturn, nearly blinding me with her even, white teeth. Edward turned and looked at me briefly, then smiled politely and kissed the girl on the cheek. This time I couldn't hide my shock. Throwing my bag on the floor, I collapsed in a desk three seats away from my usual spot and fumed. I thought I even heard a near-silent chuckle to my right.

That's where I was, about ready to strangle someone, when the bell rang. While I was brooding, my friend Kristy had come and sat beside me. Sensing my bad mood, she hadn't said anything to me yet, probably figuring I wasn't in the mood to talk. That, of course, was very accurate.

Our teacher, Mr. Mathews, stood up. "Good morning class. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our two new students, Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan." He waved his hand toward the pair.

Isabella smiled. "If you don't mind, Mr. Mathews, would you call me Bella?"

"Certainly," replied Mr. Mathews, looking a little flustered. I caught myself wishing that I could automatically have that effect on people. Then I told myself to shut up.

Mr. Mathews cleared his throat. "It seems that you two know each other. Care to elaborate?"

Edward nodded. "In our family, all the kids are adopted. Bella is my adopted sister." Edward and Bella smiled at each other, as if they were enjoying an inside joke. I frowned even more than I was already.

Mr. Mathews nodded. "I see. Well, Edward and Bella, welcome to Valley Ridge High School. Now," he said, turning back around and walking back towards his desk, "let's begin with today's lesson."

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I guess Kristy didn't think I looked more dangerous anymore, because she passed me a note later in class when we were supposed to be doing our assignment. It said,

_What's wrong?_

I picked up my signature fuschia ink ballpoint pen and wrote,

_New girl and guy are so annoying! Especially the girl. She seems to think she's soooo much better than me. As if!_

Kristy's reply: _You'll show her who's boss._

_Oh trust me, I will,_ I wrote back. _That girl has no freaking idea what she's in for._


	4. A Plan Starts to Form

**A/N: I am sooooo sorry that I haven't been able to update quickly! But this week I've been bombed with tests and midterms and lots of homework and all that shizz, and I just haven't had any time to write! I know, I know. You're disappointed in me. But I have a three-day weekend coming up, so maybe I'll have time to write then. :D**

**By the way, I said something to this extent in my author's note last chapter, but for some reason it didn't show up! So just know that I really am apologetic for leaving you hanging. **

**Anyway, I was wondering about something that will affect the direction this story goes: Should I have Claire somehow find out that Bella and Edward are vampires? Or should I keep her in the dark about it and just have her be the stereotypical, popular, nasty girl? I was thinking that having her find out would put an interesting twist on the story, but I want y'alls opinion first! So please tell me what you think I should do by messaging me or telling me in your review (:**

**And before we get on with the story, I just wanted to give you a heads-up that my updates **_**may**_** get a little less frequent. The first few chapters got posted fairly quickly because I already had some of it written and all I had to do was type it up! But from this point on, all of this is new material. So it will take me a while to formulate a plot and all that. So I really am sorry if you're getting frustrated with my slow updating, but please bear with me!**

**Okayyyy. On with the story!**

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Claire's POV

I know this sounds really pathetic, but I spent all of the night after that trying to think of ways to destroy that little witch named Bella. I ran through possibilities in my head while applying nail polish to my toenails. _Accidentally spilling food all over her during lunch? _Hmm. Acceptable, but I was above childish pranks like that. _Threaten her? _Now that was more my style, but I'd already done a little of that to no effect, frustratingly enough.

What I needed was something I could hold over her head. Something that I could use to bend her to my will. I needed _leverage_.

I grabbed my Macbook, quickly pulled up Google, and typed in _Bella Swan_. I scanned through the search results, looking for some dirt on her. I found nothing of interest, however. Just the fact that she'd gone high school in some tiny town in Washington. Yawn.

I shut my MacBook and threw it onto my bed in frustration. How could there be no dish on this girl? In my experience, beautiful people often hid ugly secrets. Even I hid a few secrets of my own (but we won't get into that). Not that I thought she was pretty though. Well, okay, she _is_ pretty. But it's not like I would tell anybody that I thought that.

But the point was: What could I do? What could I possibly do to defame her character? Make people hate her? But more importantly, _how could I get the attention away from her and back on to me_?

I'd never admit it to anyone, but I was insanely jealous of Bella. It amazed me how she could just walk into a room and steal everyone's attention. Even I, the all-American, straight-A, shockingly pretty popular girl, couldn't do that. And this fact irritated me to no end. Something _had _to be done about this.

So as my freshly-painted nails started to dry, I started to formulate a plan...

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**So there we have it! Sorry the chapter's _really_**** short, but I don't have time right now (I'm actually typing this when I'm supposed to be doing my gigantic amount of homework, haha). Don't forget to review!**

** Alexa**


	5. Craziness in the Cafeteria

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**So to compensate for the incredibly short chapters I've been posting, I made this one a little longer. Enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you think by **_**reviewing!**_** (: I need some ideas for the next few chapters, and I would love it if you gave me some input.**

**By the way, for those of you who have reviewed, added, or favorited in the past, **_**thank you so much!**_** I love it when I open my inbox to see 40-something emails from FanFiction waiting for me. (:**

**Also, for those of you who have been askng, I'm not exactly sure if I'm going to have the rest of the Cullens in this story. Alice has a **_**teeny**_** bit of a part here, but that's about it. However, if you want me to include the rest of the Cullens, let me know! I'm sure I could squeeze them in somewhere. What do you say to having all of them beat up Claire? Haha. Just kidding. Or am I? (;**

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Claire's POV

The next day, I came to school wearing one of my favorite outfits. It consisted of a cropped black blazer left unbuttoned over a white tank top, black True Religion skinny jeans, ballet flats, a fedora, and my favorite Michael Kors tote and oversized Coach sunglasses. The carefree coolness of the ensemble made me confident for what was in store today.

The night before I had devised my perfect plan. Well, at least as close to perfect as my plan could get. First of all, I would have someone break into Bella's locker and steal any articles of clothing she might have in there. Next, during lunch, I would spill food on Bella's outfit so she'd be forced to change clothes. However, she wouldn't be able to do that because her extra clothes would no longer be in her locker. Therefore, Bella would walk around all day looking like a total slob. Ha!

The first bell rang, and my plan began to unfold. I shot a glance across the courtyard toward the geeky freshman whom I had hired to assist me, and she quickly made her way through the crowd and darted inside the school doors. I, however, took my time getting inside. My part wouldn't come in until lunchtime.

With Angelica and Kristy by my side, I strutted inside, whipping off my sunglasses as I proceeded to use the hall as my own personal runway. Everyone quickly got out of my way, and I allowed a small smile to grace my lips as I made my way towards my locker. The truth was, I relished all the envious stares I received from those who wished to be me. Without my popularity, what would I be? Nothing. Just another pretty face in the crowd. A queen is nothing without her subjects.

Which is why it was so important to keep Bella from stealing _my _position as the ruler of this school. I'd worked hard for this spot; I _deserved_ it. I couldn't let some pale-faced newcomer take it away from me!

I got to my locker and grabbed my history and science textbooks. Kristy gave me an air-kiss. "I'll see you later. Can't wait for lunch!"

I grinned wickedly. "Me neither!"

With that, Kristy left, and Angelica and I headed off to homeroom.

This was going to be a great day.

Bella's POV

I sat in homeroom class, gushing with Edward about Renesmee. She'd been growing _so_ fast, and now looked to be the size of an eight year-old. However, appearances were deceiving; she was already capable of doing high school-level math.

Someone brushed past me, and I became slightly distracted. Looking over, I saw Claire giving me what appeared to be her approximation of an evil smile. It was a smile that was probably intended to be unnerving, but I wasn't affected at all. What could _this_ girl do to me that could be so horrible? If she thought that what _she_ was planning to do was so bad, she should go meet the Volturi.

Alice had had a vision the other night, and she'd tipped me off on the fact that Claire was planning some elaborate shenanigan **(A/N: Haha, I like that word) **that involved me getting food spilled all over my clothes. Alice, being Alice, insisted that I wear something simple. "Don't wear that gorgeous cashmere sweater I gave you," she'd said. "I don't want you getting that ruined."

"Alice," I'd sighed, "I wouldn't wear that even if I _wasn't_ going to get food thrown on me."

Alice had pouted. "You're such a party pooper."

So I, the party pooper, was now sitting in class in a simple black tee, jeans, and Converses. (Although the outfit was rather plain, it had a hideously high price tag. I knew the Cullens had a vast amount of wealth and all, but couldn't they tone it down once in a while?) Underneath the tee and jeans, Alice had somehow gotten me into a pink silk camisole ("You need to have _something_ cute on you!" she'd exclaimed) with tiny crystals embedded into the lace that lined its top, as well as some denim shorts. Alice had informed me that the "adorable top and nice jeans" I'd had in my locker would be stolen, so I had to wear something underneath all my clothes. It was a good thing vampires didn't sweat, because if they did, I would be a puddle by now.

Edward glanced at Claire and frowned a little. "I didn't know it was possible that someone could be so...cheerful at the prospect of causing trouble."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't have to be a mind-reader to know what goes on in the minds of those so-called 'popular' girls. This is what high school is like, Edward. I would've thought you knew that, what with the fact that you've attended high school a _few_ more times than the average person."

Edward snorted. "Of course I knew that. But this girl seems to have a personal vendetta against you. It's quite..."

"Stupid?" I suggested.

Edward laughed. "Are you really that nonchalant about this whole thing? I remember the quiet, timid Bella that I first met in Forks, and it certainly seems like she's been replaced."

"Not replaced," I said. "She's still here, but she's just been pushed off into the corner for a little bit. Who knows, she may make a return."

"I hope not," said Edward. He winked at me. "I quite enjoy this new Bella."

I kissed him on the cheek. "I know." I looked over my shoulder to see Claire staring at us, who looked either extremely jealous or extremely constipated (I couldn't tell which one). I flashed a smile at her, thinking maybe there was a small chance I could blind her with my super-bright vampire teeth. Maybe it worked, because Claire looked momentarily confused for a second there. I smiled again, to myself this time, and sat back in my chair.

This was going to be a pretty interesting day.

Claire's POV

At last! It was lunchtime.

I strode into the lunchroom with Angelica in tow. Instead of getting my usual low-fat turkey wrap, I grabbed a steaming plate of fettucine alfredo. The messier the better (for today at least)!

I paid for my food and made my way to the table with Angelica. Kristy arrived a little later with her usual food: a chicken tender salad with low-fat ranch dressing. She smiled at me. "So. When do you activate your plan?"

I exchanged glances with Angelica, who giggled. I smirked at Kristy. "Well. Let's see. Right about..." I watched as Bella sat down at a table with Edward, a plate of food in hand. ".....Now," I finished.

I traipsed over to Bella's table with my plate of pasta. Edward noticed my approach, and instead of staring at my body (like most guys did), he glared at me. With a start, I noticed that his eyes were kind of brown. That was weird; I was pretty sure he had had golden eyes just the other day. But whatever. Worrying about eye color was not my main objective at the moment..

I carefully kept my eyes on the trash can that was right behind Bella. Then, when I sensed I was right in front of her, I dumped my plate of pasta. Looking down, I saw I had hit my target; the creamy noodles and sauce were dripping off Bella's lap.

"Oops!" I said with mock surprise. "I'm soooo sorry." I could feel the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria on me, so I batted my eyelashes and did a hair toss, so all the guys in front of me could get a good look at my cleavage. _That should do it._

For some strange reason, Bella didn't seem affected at all. "Oh, that's fine," she practically cooed. "Let me just take this off..." Bella kicked off her Converses and removed her black tee, revealing a skimpy pink silk camisole. Next, she took off her jeans, revealing distressed denim short shorts. My jaw dropped, along with the jaws of every other guy in the cafeteria (with the exception of Edward, who'd probably seen all that and then some). Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to Bella, and away from me.

Bella put her shoes back on and breezily walked to the nearest trash can, where she dumped her ruined clothes. She turned back to me and smiled. "Good thing I wore some clothes underneath, right?" With that, she strode out of the cafeteria. Edward stood to follow her, but not before shooting a smirk in my direction.

Since everyone was still busy watching Bella's retreat, no one noticed me stomp back to my table. My plan had most definitely backfired.

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**Whew! My fingers are uber tired from typing all that.**

**Anyway, do any of you have a guess at what I'm going to say next? I'll give you a hint: It starts with an R and ends with a Eview.**

**Yup, you guessed it: Review! (:**

** Alexa**


	6. Author's Note

**For those of you who have been whining about how short my chapters are, let me just make one thing clear. **

**There's this thing. It's called time. And I don't have a whole lot of it. **

**So I'm sorry if my chapters are really short, but the truth is that I have things to do! I don't just spend all my time writing stories. There's so much stuff that I have to do or take care of and I just don't have time. I'm sorry, but writing stories is not at the top of my list of priorities. It's just something that I do for fun.**

**So please, guys, bear with me?**

**Thank you.**

**Oooooh, and before I forget, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed! You guys are the best (: **

**-alexa**


	7. Homecoming

**A/N: Holy crap you guys. Words cannot express how extremely sorry I am for not updating for TWO MONTHS! Oh my gosh. I am SOOOO sorry. Things have been hectic lately, with school and friends and partying and all that, and I just haven't found the time to write! Truth be told, I kind of forgot I even had something to write. -_- oops.**

**But anyway, I'm back! Yay (:**

**Anyway, so once I'm done with this chapter, I NEED y'alls advice! I don't have a clue what to have happen after this chapter, so if you don't make some suggestions to me, chances are this story won't be updated any quicker :/ Message me your suggestions on here, or on Twitter (twitter [dot] com / alexalovesyou)**

**Okay, so here's the next chapter!**

**By the way, I just realized that I haven't put a disclaimer on any of my chapters! Oops! So I'll say right now that I don't own Edward or Bella or the Cullens. Just Claire & her buddies. (:**

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Claire's POV

Something had to give.

I was SO dang tired of having to bow down to this Bella. SO tired of having her outshine me in ways that I didn't think were possible. SO tired of being pushed into the background while _she_ basked in the spotlight. That spotlight was _mine_. No one should ever, _ever_ be able to set foot in it without being seriously hurt.

The thing was, this Bella seemed to be...indestructible. Unbeatable. It was like she could sense my next move, and prepare a defense and a counterattack in the blink of an eye. I'd never had this much difficulty in taking someone down, and the prospect of Bella actually posing a threat to me was inconceivable.

In other words, I hated it. There are people who enjoy a challenge, but I am not one of those people. I mean, sure, I guess challenges that I can easily win are fine, but for the most part I prefer to stay safe and sound in my own little impenetrable bubble of perfectness. So basically, the fact that my popularity was slowly but surely drifting away was a pretty horrifying thought. My perfect little bubble didn't seem so perfect any more. Everytime someone gawked at Bella, it was like a stab to my ego. Or something like that. The point was, it bothered me immensely and made me awful. If this continued, by the end of the school year I'd be a complete nobody! And I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't.

Being wounded as I was, however, I couldn't come up with a brilliant plan. So I decided to attempt to outshine her. However feeble the attempt may be, I couldn't go down without a fight. I wouldn't be one of those people who sat there and did nothing. No, I would try to do something. Even though my days as queen were coming to an end, I would at least try to regain some of my not-so-loyal subjects. If I couldn't be a queen, then maybe I could at least be a countess.

The perfect chance to make what was possibly my last attempt was at next week's homecoming dance. I already had landed one of the hottest varsity football players as my date (though I had to use my powers of seduction more than I was used to, since he was so smitten with _Bella_), and now all that I needed to find was my dress. Since I was a shoo-in for the homecoming court (and I had been since freshman year), my dress would have to be beautiful, and more importantly, it would have to make _me_ look beautiful (though that shouldn't be too hard).

So over the weekend, I engaged myself in vigorous shopping. My final choice was a strapless LaROK sequined minidress. It hugged my body perfectly, & accentuated it with hundreds of black & gold sequins. It was the perfect dress for me: sexy & attention-grabbing. I completed the look with a pair of L.A.M.B. ankle booties & a small black clutch. **(A/N: If you're a visual kind of person & want to see pictures, let me know & I'll try to get the links to you somehow!) **To

say I looked completely amazing in my ensemble would be an understatement.

However, despite my confidence, I still felt a twinge of doubt. Knowing Bella & her gorgeousness, she'd probably come up with some elaborate outfit to wear to the dance, and it would completely overshadow mine. I sighed. What had happened to the old days, where I didn't have to worry about things like this? They were gone, so long as Bella was around. Which really sucked, because these days I was frowning so often that my chances of developing wrinkles at an early age were increased. Now THAT was one thing I would NOT stand for.

After applying some smoky eye makeup and some bronzer, I examined my

reflection in the mirror & realized something. I looked great. This

was the homecoming dance, for God's sake. I shouldn't be worrying

about anyone else but me. I should be just focusing on having a great

time. Who cared about Bella? I certainly didn't. Tonight was going to

be MY night.

And so, with my newfound confidence in tow, I sauntered out the door.

If only I'd known how short my mood would last.

***

Ryan, the cute football player whom I had chosen to be my date, picked me up at 7:45, dressed in a tuxedo. I walked past him on my way to his car, casting a flirtatious look at him as I did so. He blushed furiously, as I had totally just caught him staring at my butt. I turned back around and allowed myself a small smile. If there was one thing that hadn't changed, it was my ability to make the boys drool.

We arrived at the dance 5, maybe 10 minutes later. All the football players paraded in with their dates, and their names were announced to those assembled. I beamed as the spotlight shone on me for those five blissful seconds. This was my forte.

The dance progressed, and still there was no sign of Bella. My date shimmied off to get us some drinks, and so I spent my free time chatting up my minions when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around & came face to face with none other than my ex, Justin. He looked as cute as ever, with sandy blonde hair carefully slicked back,

tanned skin, and sky blue eyes. But I stopped myself from thinking anything else along those lines. Justin had had the audacity to break up with me, and that certainly did not merit any sign of friendliness from me. I gave him a frosty smile. "Justin. What a surprise."

He smiled a little. I'd almost forgotten how much I loved his smile. "Just wanted to say hi," he said simply.

I frowned slightly. "Well. Hi. Now don't you have a girlfriend to be running back to right about now?"

Justin looked down. "No."

I felt a slight twinge of sympathy, followed by happiness. So he was single. Hmmm. Well, I could easily turn this situation in my favor, but I was prepared to make him work for it. I lifted my chin. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But please explain to me, Justin, why you felt the need to approach me," I said coldly, narrowing my eyes.

Justin smiled again, a little bashfully. He needed to stop doing that; I could feel my heart defrosting by the second. "I just wanted to say that...I've been thinking about things. And I don't think our relationship ended on a good note. We need to fix things. I think we should--"

My breath caught. He was going to ask me to get back together with him!

But then he stopped, his eyes focused on a point somewhere behind me. His jaw dropped. I scowled and turned around to see what had captured his attention. Who had the nerve to interrupt this moment?

Of course, somewhere in the back of my brain I already knew the answer.

Bella.

She was arm-in-arm with Edward, and both of them looked drop-dead gorgeous, to say the least. His black suit provided a dramatic contrast to his pale white skin. His eyes were two amber orbs of light, and I felt a strange urge to run my fingers through his bronze hair.

But then there was Bella. She wore a simple black minidress, but there was some sort of elegance to it. Creamy pearls adorned her ears, wrists, & neck. Her hair was pin straight and flowed past her shoulders. It was like Audrey Hepburn had come back to life and decided to crash Valley Ridge High's homecoming dance.

I looked around, and noticed that everyone's attention was on the beautiful couple. Soft murmurs made their way through the crowd, things like "Oh, they look amazing!" "They look like they stepped right off the red carpet." "Whoa."

I looked up at Justin. His eyes were, of course, fixed on HER. I nudged his arm, & it took a little while to make him turn his eyes back to me. "What?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

I glared at him. "Weren't you about to say something to me?"

He gently removed my hand from his sleeve. "Just a minute." He walked away to get a closer look at Bella.

My mouth popped open. WHAT. THE. HECK. In the seventeen years I'd been alive, no one had EVER rejected me like that. NO ONE.

Stifling the urge to scream bloody murder, I shoved the people around me as an effort to distance myself from the warm, stuffy crowd. I needed to go somewhere to take out my anger, and _fast_.

By the time I had freed myself from the starstruck crowd, I was breathing heavily. My eyesight had started to blur, and I felt strangely dizzy. What was going on? Maybe I should've eaten something before leaving for the dance. I leaned against a table to steady myself, still wheezing a little. My head was pounding. God. Was I having, like, a panic attack or something?

I somehow gathered the strength to make my way to the door, but my legs were shaky and I almost fell right on my butt. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I needed help. I spotted my bestie Angelica by the door, also staring at Bella & Edward. I frowned, then winced when the pounding in my head started to increase.

I stumbled over to her. "Angie," I murmured. "I _really_ don't feel good. Be a dear and give me a ride home, please?"

Angelica nodded. "Sure. But let me check out Bella's dress real quick. I know you hate her and all, but I mean, look at that dress!" Her eyes grew wide. "It's _vintage Givenchy_. Oh my God, it's amazing. I just want to see if I can touch it, or take a picture, or something..."

And with that, Angelica tiptoed closer to Bella.

I fell to my knees. If I didn't know it then, I knew it now. Bella had done the impossible. She had overthrown the reigning queen of Valley Ridge High School. And where did that leave me? I had no friends to complain to, no boyfriend to comfort me, no lowly subjects to boss around. Bella had taken all of that from me.

I curled up in the corner and closed my eyes. So this is what it was like to be a loser.

* * *

**Awwww, poor little Claire. I kinda feel sorry for her now.**

**Review pleaseee! (: And again, sorrry sorry sorry for my slowness in updating. I promise I'll try to update sooner, since I have early dismissal all this week and a 4-day weekend. (:**


	8. Another Plan

**A/N: Next chapter is here! That was quick, wasn't it? (:**

**Anyway, tell me what you think in a review! Also, just a heads up: I will most likely be ending this in the next two chapter or so! I know, kind of sad. But I think it's time for the story to come to an end. Plus, I'd like to focus more on some other fanfictions I'm writing for Percy Jackson & the Olympians (: Have any of you read that series? It's pretty darn fantastic. (:**

**So here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Bella's POV

Edward & I had just decided to go to the homecoming dance for fun. I'd never been to one (I was used to avoiding school functions due to the fact that I was usually dateless), and although Edward had been to several, he had never gone with someone other than his siblings. So really, this was a first for both of us.

Of course, I'd had second thoughts about the decision after Alice had heard of it.

"A _dance_, Bella! It'll be amazing! Of course, I can order you a dress from Milan if you want-"

"Alice..." I groaned.

"-and I can go to Tiffany's or Cartier and get you some nice jewelry. Now what about the bag, and the shoes?"

"Alice."

"Well obviously that would depend on what dress you plan to wear, so we need to pick that out-"

"Alice!" That finally got her attention. "It's just a homecoming dance. We're not even on the homecoming court. I just want to wear something simple. Nothing too flashy."

Alice sighed. "You never let me have any fun!"

"And I apologize for that, Alice, but I'm not a Dress-Me-Up doll or anything. I'm a person who is capable of making her own decisions," I reminded her. "And that includes fashion decisions."

Alice snorted. "Oh, please Bella. You wouldn't know a thing about fashion if it wasn't for me. But I can see that you're not giving in, so I'll let you choose." I couldn't help but notice the defeated expression on her face as she said the words, and my resolve weakened slightly.

"Oh fine. I'll pick out the dress, but I'll let you choose my accessories," I amended. Alice's face brightened, and something occurred to me. "You probably had a vision of me giving in, didn't you?"

Alice grinned. "Yep!"

Oh, Alice.

I chose a simple black sleeveless dress and black pumps as my outfit. Alice gave me a strange look. "You're wearing _that_? But it's so boring!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Which is why I'm letting you choose the accessories. But remember! Nothing too flashy."

Alice tilted her head. "Hmm. Well, all right. I think maybe with that dress, we could go with an old-school Audrey Hepburn look. But we should modernize it a little. Add a belt to that dress, straighten and blow dry your hair..." Alice continued to ramble on and on. I figured I might as well pretend to listen.

The day of the dance finally came. When Edward & I arrived, I was a little shocked by the amount of people who instantly turned and stared, and I started feeling a little insecure. I nudged Edward. "What are they thinking?" I whispered.

Edward grinned at me. "No need to feel shy, love. They're simply awed by our appearance."

If I was still human, I would've blushed.

Edward chuckled. "That poor Claire girl-- she's having quite a meltdown. Something about you 'stealing her throne'. Have you stolen any thrones lately, Bella?"

I looked over at Claire, who was desperately pushing her way out of the crowd. Her cheeks were flushed and she appeared to be hyperventilating. "None that I know of," I replied. "She really does not look well. Maybe we should check on her."

"Perhaps," said Edward. "Though the reasons for this panic attack of hers are quite laughable." He laughed quietly. "I never quite understood the high school popularity food chain."

I looked at her retreating figure, still a little concerned. Forget it, she'll be fine, I assured myself. I tugged on his arm. "Come on, Edward. We came to this dance to dance, did we not?" I smiled up at him. He smiled back, and pulled me towards the dance floor.

The dance whirled by quite quickly. Although Valley Ridge High School put out an effort to make the student body have a good time, the dance was fairly uneventful. I knew now that when I'd skipped out on school dances before, I hadn't really been missing anything.

As Edward & I were about to make our departure, I looked across the crowd of people, who were leaving as well, and noticed someone in the corner. Someone wearing a skimpy, attention-grabbing gold sequined dress. I turned to Edward. "Could you go get the car?" He nodded, and left.

I walked over to the corner, where Claire was sitting down, curled up into a ball. I touched her arm. "Everything okay?"

Claire looked up. Her ice blue eyes, rimmed with smudged eyeliner, widened slightly and then narrowed. "Oh. It's you."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "Yes, it's me."

"Go away." Claire buried her head in her hands.

I sighed. "Look, whatever I did to make you hate me, I'm sorry. Okay?"

There was no reply. _At least I tried_, I thought. But as I turned away to leave, I heard Claire's voice.

"Apologizing doesn't make anything better, you know," she sniffed.

I turned around. "What?"

Claire somehow managed to stand up. There was a new fire in her eyes. "Can't you see, Bella?" _You _are now the queen of Valley Ridge High. You've taken my spot. Congratulations. I hope you're happy now."

I considered that. I hadn't realized that throughout all this, I had become _that_ popular. It was definitely not something I was used to. Although I had been aware that I was eliciting more attention than before, I certainly didn't know that more popularity level had become so high that I had managed to overthrow the most popular girl in school. I felt a wave of pity for her. I certainly didn't need this popularity, but Claire did. Her popularity was part of what defined her.

I looked up at Claire. Although her jaw was set, and her body was tense, there was an air of resignation in her eyes. Looking at the situation from her point of view, I could see how upsetting this could be. To Claire, it probably seemed like I was stealing her life.

"Then take your popularity back. I don't need it," I told her.

Claire looked surprised, but then angry again. "Popularity is not an _object_. It is a state of _being_. It's not just something you can give back. Once you have it, it's yours forever." She scoffed. "Besides, the only way things could be fixed was if you moved away. Or dropped out of school. Or something."

"Well," I said. "We'll see."

And with that I walked off.

Claire's POV

My head was reeling. Had that really just happened?

Did Bella Swan seriously just come up to me and _apologize _for being popular?

Honestly, I didn't know how to react. I'd never come across a situation like this in my life. Then again, I'd never been unpopular before.

The strange thing was, I appreciated Bella for coming up to see if I was okay. For actually being civil to me. She definitely didn't have to do that. She could've just said some insults. Kicked me while I was down. That's what I would've done.

But no, she had to be the bigger person and be all nice to me and stuff. Which was, you know, kind of her, but it made it that much harder for me to hate her.

But as I sat in the driver's seat of my Mercedes convertible, about to start the ignition, a thought came to me. What if I didn't have to hate her?

Of course, I wouldn't actually be her _friend_. I would just pretend to be. If I was connected to the most popular girl in school, then that would instantly make _me_ more popular.

I couldn't think of a downside to that.

Like they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

* * *

**There you have it! (:**

**This is really random, but did any of you see American Idol the other night? And if so, did you see the "Pants on the Ground" guy?! It was the most epic thing I've seen. Look it up on YouTube if you haven't seen it. "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground. lookin' like a fool wit yo pants on the ground!" haha. xD**

**Okay, sorry for the random outburst. But anyways please review! **

**xoxo, Alexa. (:**


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